Critical thinkers... 
 

are honest with themselves,acknowledging what they do not know,recognizing their limitations, and beingwatchful of their own errors. 

regard problems and controversial issues as exciting challenges. 
 

strive for understanding, keep curiosityalive, remain patient with complexity andready to invest time to overcome confusion. 

set aside personal preferences and basejudgments on evidence, deferring judgmentwhenever evidence is insufficient. 

revise judgments when new evidence 
reveals error. 

are interested in other people's ideas, soare willing to read and listen attentively,even when they tend to disagree with the other person. 
 
recognize that extreme views (whether 
conservative or liberal) are seldom correct, 
so they avoid them, practice fairmindedness, and seek a balanced view. 

practice restraint, controlling their feelingsrather than being controlled by them, andthinking before acting. 
 

pretend they know more than they do,ignore their limitations, and assume theirviews are error-free.
 

regard problems and controversial issues as nuisances or threats to their ego.
 

are impatient with complexity and thus would rather remain confused than make the effort to understand.
 

base judgments on first impressions and gut reactions. 

are unconcerned about the amount or quality of evidence and cling to earlier views steadfastly.

are preoccupied with self and their own
opinions, and so are 
unwilling to pay attention to others' views. At the first sign
of disagreement they tend to think, "How
can I refute this?"

ignore the need for balance and give
preference to views that support their
established views.
 
tend to follow their feelings and act impulsively